LIVEFC Barcelona - Real SociedadLiga - 20 April 2019

Liga – Follow the Football match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad live with Eurosport. The match starts at 19:45 on 20 April 2019. Our live coverage lets you follow all the key moments as they happen.Who will come out on top in the battle of the managers Ernesto Valverde or Imanol Alguacil? Find out by following our live matchcast.

Have your say by voting on who will win between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad? Enjoy some pre-match reading with related articles about these two Enjoy some pre-match reading with related articles about these two Football teams.Head-to-head: see historical stats and visit our detailed profiles for FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad. Get all the latest on Football: fixtures, results and tables.

30

Highlights

Remove

FULL TIME

Peep peep, that's your lot! Barcelona have won it with goals from two of their defenders, and go nine points clear at the top of La Liga with five games to play.

90+3'

Willian Jose has had a poor game, and overhits a through ball straight to Ter Stegen. That may well be it for Sociedad.

90+1'

We've got four added minutes here, what have Sociedad got left?

90'

SUBSTITUTION. Sergi Roberto comes on for Vidal for Barcelona. Unrelated to that header I believe, as Vidal has been quietly excellent tonight.

89'

Coutinho whips in a corner from the left. Vidal rises for a free header six yards out, but heads it straight back to Coutinho who is offside.

87'

SUBSTITUTION. Llorente and Juanmi are off for Sociedad, replaced by Ramirez and Barrenetxea.

86'

Zaldua bombs forward on the right and wins a corner for Sociedad.

84'

Sociedad are pushing forward here, with Vidal going through the full repertoire of tackles in his efforts to win the ball back. They're leaving gaps at the back though, and Messi nearly gets in from a quick counter-attack.

81'

A comical foul from Munoz on Semedo gives Barcelona a free-kick on the right. Messi whips it in, it deflects off Pardo and Vidal volleys awkwardly over the bar it the back post.

79'

Suarez leads a break for Barcelona and shifts it to Rakitic on the left. He strides purposefully into Sociedad's area but cracks a high drive into Rulli's side-netting.

76'

Jordi Alba's immediate riposte seemed to have taken the wind out of Sociedad for a few minutes, and they looking a bit nervy at the back for a few minutes. They're pressing forward again though, and a very ambitious thirty yarder from Sangalli sails well over.

72'

SUBSTITUTION. Coutinho replaces Dembele for Barcelona.

70'

CLOSE! Another Messi and Suarez one-two, and Messi's in on Rulli again. As with the earlier chance, the goalkeeper does just enough to put Messi off as they come together and the ball bounces out for a goal kick.

67'

Breathless stuff! That goal by Alba was VAR checked as Dembele ran across the line of the shot in an offside position, but the shot was deemed to be far enough after Alba had let his shot go.

64'

GOAL! Barcelona 2 Real Sociedad 1 (Jordi Alba 64). Barcelona have struck back immediately! Jordi Alba picks the ball up on the left of the Sociedad area, cuts inside his mine and fires a low drive into the far corner!

62'

GOAL! Barcelona 1 Real Sociedad 1 (Juanmi 62). This is a stunning goal. Merino picks the ball up around thirty yards from Barcelona's goal. He slides a perfectly timed, guided and weighted ball right through the middle of the Barcelona defence to the onrushing Juanmi, who timed him run to perfection. He slides in to hook it past ter Stegen, and we're level!

61'

Sociedad are behind but they're well in the game here. But for one perfectly-executed set piece, there's not been much in it in terms of decent chances.

58'

CLOSE! Messi drives at the Sociedad defence again, before helping to work the ball across to Dembele on the left. Dembele's low, right-footed curler drifts just wide of the far post.

56'

SUBSTITUTION. Sergio Busquets is on to replace Arthur for Barcelona.

55'

Ter Stegen and Jordi Alba get mixed up about who is dealing with a harmless cross, and Ter Stegen fumbles it before Barcleona scramble it clear. Momentary panic there.

54'

SUBSTITUTION. Zubeldia has picked up an injury for Sociedad and Sangalli takes his place.

52'

Sociedad seem to fancy this a bit at the start of the second half. Pardo has a lash at goal from thirty yards, which deflects off Semedo and is palmed away by ter Stegen.

51'

Willian Jose craftily nutmegs Vidal in the middle of the pitch. High on that success, he tries to fire a raking pass out to Oyarzabal on the right but it's overhit and ter Stegen sees it out for a goal kick.

49'

Vidal suddenly breaks forward and plays in Dembele on the left of the area, but the return cross is intercepted and cleared.

47'

Oyarzabal does well to connect with a long cross into the Barcelona area, but his header is wayward and goes well wide.

45'

The players are out and we're underway again.

HALF TIME

Here's that chance for Juanmi and Willian Jose.

HALF TIME

A half of two crushing disappointments for Sociedad. Not only did Juanmi and Willian Jose miss the best opening of the match, but Sociedad conceded with almost the last touch of the half. Can they recover?

HALF TIME

That was the last action of the half, the perfect time to score as they say in the trade. The corner kick from Dembele was at least 50% of that goal; the requisite amount of whip and pace that just needs the faintest of connections to send it flying into the net.

45'

GOAL! Barcelona 1 Real Soceidad 0 (Lenglet 45). The corner is whipped in from the left, and Lenglet crashes onto the ball to thump a towering header past Rulli from six yards!

44'

A wicked cross from Alba is just about intercepted by Aritz, who heads clear for a Barcelona corner.

41'

Brilliant play from Messi in the penalty are here. He twists one way and the other, smothered by Sociedad defenders, yet somehow picks out Alba in the crowd. Alba touches it off to Suarez whose shot is well saved at the near post by Rulli.

36'

OH WHAT A CHANCE FOR SOCIEDAD! Pardo lifts a beautiful pass in behind the Barcelona defence. Juanmi chests it down and shoots, Ter Stegen saves at point blank range and Willian Jose balloons the rebound over the bar from six yards. That's a huge miss.

34'

Sociedad get some respite with a free-kick in Barcelona's half. It's launched towards Aritz in the penalty area but Barcelona clear comfortably.

31'

A lightning one-two between Messi and Suarez sees Messi burst through on Rulli, who just gets to the return ball first and parries to safety. Moments later Suarez is pulled back in the area, but was already offside so Sociedad are reprieved.

30'

Messi picks it up in the middle of the Sociedad half, and slightly overcooks a through ball to Dembele which Rulli gathers.

29'

Real Sociedad's official website seem happy enough with their start.

27'

CLOSE. Another foul on the edge of the Sociedad area gifts a chance to Messi from a free-kick again, this time on the side made for the left-footer. Messi strolls up and chips it over the wall, but just clears the bar at the same time.

25'

Merino looks Sociedad's best chance of catching Barcelona high up the pitch when Sociedad reclaim the ball. He hits a fifty yard through ball to Willan Jose but ter Stegen heads clear.

23'

Lots of possession for Barcelona here, but no real incisiveness as yet. Sociedad seem to have settled on a policy of containment so far, and it's working.

20'

Messi just gave his hamstring a tentative rub and glanced at the bench there, though seems to be getting on with it speedily enough now.

15'

YELLOW CARD. Merino mis-times a challenge on Messi, who crumples in agony. For his troubles, Merino goes in the book.

14'

Messi drills a cross into the area from the right wing. It's just above the leaping Suarez, who hosted in behind the Sociedad defence, and Rulli gathers.

12'

Luis Suarez and Aritz have clashed heads, and are carrying on a row about who was responsible. From the replay it appeared completely accidental.

10'

Suarez is fouled right on the edge of the Sociedad area to the left, as Zubeldia clatters through the back of him. Messi takes the shot from 25 yards out but clangs it into the defensive wall.

7'

Excellent work from Arthur, who looks such a composed presence in midfield for Barcelona. He pirouettes twice to shake off his marker in the middle and brilliantly picks out Semedo in the Sociedad area, but he's just offside.

4'

Better from Real Sociedad, who venture forward through Pardo before a thumping Vidal tackle regains the ball for Barcelona.

2'

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona have settled into rhythmic bouts of possession early on. Messi has one jet-heeled dart towards the Sociedad area, but the danger is cleared when his pass goes astray.

0'

The referee Gonzalez Fuertes gives a shrill blast, and we're away!

19:42

The teams are out of the tunnel and on the pitch. Not long now folks...

19:41

Messi and Suarez when they arrived - the former sipping a drink with a business-like look in those eyes.

19:32

With his two goals against Manchester United on Tuesday night, Lionel Messi moved on to the scarcely believable total of 597 goals for Barcelona. Who among us would confidently bet against a hat-trick and yet another landmark tonight, given recent form that's astonishing even by his standards?

Quick news from earlier today – Atletico Madrid won 1-0 away to Eibar, to keep up what is surely a forlorn pursuit of Barcelona and the La Liga title.

Tonight’s visitors Real Sociedad are in that end of season hinterland of comfortable breathing space from the relegation battle but miles off the pace for the European places. Their record at the Camp Nou gives also little for Barcelona’s rivals to hope for. Sociedad have only won three times here, and the last such occasion was in May 1991.

If they win tonight Barcelona will restore their nine-point gap at the top of the table. Although the league title - what would be their 26th - looks a formality from here, they will be keen to get it settled as soon as possible; victory tonight and in their next two league games will effectively seal the league before Liverpool roll into town for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.